Every Sunday afternoon, I sit down and plan for the upcoming week. My schedule is very detailed and includes meals, chores, a budget, who is going where and who is taking them. It may sound over-the-top, but it is the only way I can keep this ship afloat. Sure, there are always a few tweaks and changes, but for the most part, everything flows nicely once the schedule is in place. Then sometimes, for some unknown reason, the cosmos decides to throw me a couple of curve balls just to keep me on my toes and just to keep life interesting. And, oh, what an interesting weekend it turned out to be . . . tee hee!
On Friday, those of you who regularly read my blog will know, that I was giddy about spending an entire Friday evening and Saturday alone at home with just my hubby. I envisioned a relaxing and rejuvenating weekend, one that I desperately needed since craziness in the form of homeschooling and the arrival of Thing 4 is just around the corner for us (eeeek! Just 7 days till school starts). We had plans to bring supper in and to curl up on the couch to watch Anna Karenina. We were going to wake up early on Saturday morning, eat breakfast together and then peruse a local baby yard sale with my sister. We would then go in town, have lunch together and do a few errands before we returned home to wait for the return of our beloved munchkins. It was going to be heavenly, but . . . it never happened. Instead, this is what our weekend had in store for us:
It started Friday morning when I received an email from a friend that our boys' soccer team had secured a position in the play-offs. This was completely unexpected since the only way that could happen was if one particular team, who besides one tie this season had lost all their other games, beat a pretty tough team in the league. Well, as fate would have it they did beat them, which meant our soccer season was not finished. Although I knew this meant my Saturday plans would be changing, I could not help but feel happy for the boys. They worked very hard this season and an opportunity to play in the play-offs was a huge deal for them. As it just so happened, my boys had two of their friends from soccer spend the night at our house the evening before, which made for four times the celebration!
At 3pm, when their friends had been picked up by their mom, the boys and I began to pack for their next adventure, a night at another friend's camp. They were a little disappointed that since they were in the play-offs we would have to pick them up in the morning to make what we expected to be an afternoon game, but they quickly shook it off. We then jumped in the van and headed to the Superstore to meet the two brave dads who were going to chaperon this much anticipated "boys night" with six hooligan friends. As soon as I pulled up into the parking lot, Mr. Level-Headed called to tell me that our game was scheduled for 10 am in St. Stephen (an hour and a half away from our house).
WHAT?!?!?
This really threw a wrench in our plans. After lots of negotiating between parents and kids, we decided to pick the boys up at 10 pm that night. The boys and I were very disappointed to see our "plans" change, but that is life. I kissed them goodbye, warned them they better behave or else, and then I headed home to meet up with Mr. Level-Headed. Well, it turns out that Mr. Level-Headed had lots of unexpected appointments pop up that day and it looked like he would not be home until later. So, refusing to get down over something as stupid as a date night gone south, I decided to pick up some poutine at Reid's Point Pub and dine not alone, but with my favourite pooch, Scout.
By the way, Scout thinks Reid's Point Pub makes the best poutine ever!
Since we had to pick the boys up at 10pm, Mr. Level-Headed and I decided to go out to the movies instead because if we stayed home we would probably end up falling asleep on the couch and miss the pick up. As soon as he got home from his appointments, we dashed to the the theatre and made it just in time to see Elysium. What was I thinking with this movie? It was far too intense for me. I spent most of the time plugging my ears, holding my belly (to protect Thing 4) and closing my eyes tightly. Ugh! When it finally finished, I felt like I was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Note to self: do not watch sci-fi thrillers when I am suffering from pregnancy anxiety. The two do not mix!
Then we rushed out to pick up our boys. For the first time ever, we had a quiet drive home. The boys were exhausted and I was still suffering from shell-shock. When we arrived home, we all went straight to bed. Okay, one of us could not wait until we got home to fall sleep . . . awwwww!
The next morning I woke up early to pack for the soccer game. As I was packing, it occurred to me that we had an entire afternoon off and since we were going to be in the same neck of the woods as New River Beach and since Saturday was their annual sand sculpture contest, I wheeled and dealed with Mr. Level-Headed, who is not a fan of the beach, and came out the victor.
After a 5-2 win over St. Stephen (4 of which were scored by Elliot . . . the league's second top goal scorer . . . woohoo!), we headed to the beach for a couple of hours. Mr. Level-Headed and Elliot spent most of the time resting on the blanket, while Avery and I made several trips around to see the sculptures and dove in the frigid Bay of Fundy waters to collect sand dollars. At one point, we had 17 sand dollars in our hands, but since they were all still alive, we put them back. I have said it a thousand times before, but New River Beach is my favourite spot in the entire world!
At this point, I was really enjoying our spur-of-the-moment weekend, and so when we were discussing with the other parents of the youth who attended the conference in Quebec about who would pick the girls up later that day, I jumped on the opportunity. We were already out and about, our evening was clear, and I really wanted to hear all about Baby Girl's trip while she was still hopped up on the conference buzz.
So after New River Beach, we headed to Fredericton. Sure, we were all tired, sure my weekend budget had been, at this point, obliterated, but we were enjoying a carefree, beautiful summer Saturday all together. What more could we ask for?
Well, as much as I did not expect it, the afternoon got even better! As soon as we saw the bus pull into the chapel parking lot, I got out of the car and began walking towards it. Mr. Level-Headed warned me that Baby Girl would not think it was cool if the first person everyone saw as they walked down the stairs was her mom, but I just laughed him off and kept making a beeline for the bus. I missed my Baby Girl and I needed to see her. Much to my complete and utter shock, Baby Girl was just as excited to see me as I was her and she threw herself into my arms and squealed: "Mom!" as I squealed: "Girlie!". It was the best reunion ever! She had an awesome time in Quebec, and she even introduced me to a young a man that she may or may not have a little crush on, who just so happens to be a supreme cutie . . . tee hee!
The whole way home, Zoe, Hannah, and Min Ju laughed and shared stories about their trip (You can learn lots from listening to three teenage girls chat). There is nothing better for a mama than to see one of her children so happy and so excited. It really warmed my heart, and as we were driving home, I thought to myself:
Man, this has been one amazing summer!
On Sunday morning, I awoke feeling refreshed and eager to start our day. Although our weekend had completely derailed from the schedule, it turned out awesome and I could not have asked for a better weekend. Mr. Level-Headed was up and out early that morning because he had a church meeting to attend in Moncton. The kids and I got dressed, ate breakfast and still had a half an hour to spare before we had to leave for church. With the sun shining and an entire afternoon home with nothing but rest and relaxation with all my kiddos planned, I thought to myself:
This is the perfect end to a perfect weekend.
Then . . . .
Elliot started scratching his head. Not a little scratch, but a deep, long scratch. I froze. The last time he scratched like that was last fall when he had lice for the first time.
Elliot, why are you scratching?
My head is super itchy!
Ugh! Come here. Let me check your head in the sunlight.
And sure enough, I found one. Then two, and then some eggs.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
So, my relaxing Sunday turned into a day of vacuuming, laundry, changing bedding, checking heads, treating one head, and shaving two boys' heads.
Okay, so sometimes straying from the schedule can really suck . . . tee hee!
Wish me luck this week!
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